Family
by likeoneofyourfrenchfries
Summary: Riker's parents died in a car crash. Rocky was given up at birth. Rydel was taken from abusive guardians. Ellington was left on a doorstep. And Ross, newly orphaned because his mom never wanted a kid. This story is all about how family is more than just blood, but in who you decide to let become a part of yours, and how a bad situation can help create something beautiful. R5.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This is my first story! Hope you like it! **

The back of the station wagon smelled of dusty cardboard to Ross, as he sat in silence, hugging his knees to his chest. His mom was inside the building on his left, finalizing his 'arrangements' for the next few months. He knew where they were. He had begged and pleaded, even made promises he couldn't keep, hoping his mom would let him stay.

But no. Of course not. His mom had never wanted this, wanted him. And after his dad died, well. There wasn't much of a reason to keep him around anymore. Ross knew he was a mistake. He'd only been told that about a million times. A scum of the earth. Never should have existed to begin with.

His thoughts were interrupted as the car door was swung open, and he was pulled out by his forearm roughly. It was his mom, and standing next to her was a dangerous looking man with cropped brown hair and crooked teeth. He was old, probably in his late forties. His smile was wicked, and gave Ross the urge to climb back into the car.

His mom shut the door before he could, and the man gripped his arm just as his mother had dropped it. She gave him a backward glance and a wave as she walked to the drivers side door. "I'll be back for you at Christmas. Maybe."

And just like that, she left. No goodbyes, no hugs, not even one clue that she might have cared about him. He was alone. What was left of his father, his whole world, was gone. He had no belongings, no family, no friends, nothing. His mom was never that nice, but, at least he had certainty. Now, there was no telling what was to become of him. It all laid beyond the creaky metal gates of the Littleton Orphanage.

Ross was dragged through the front door by the man who held his arm with a vice grip. He would've put up a fight, but he didn't have anywhere else to go. No use in making a scene.

When he first entered, it seemed relatively normal. There was a receptionist desk, with a sweet looking lady at the counter. She gave him a warm smile. "Well hey there sweetheart. You must be Ross, correct?" She asked, making comfortable eye contact with him. He nodded.

She came out from behind the counter, holding papers and other things. "You having a rough day, kiddo?" She asked, noting his sniffly nose, red face and puffy eyes. He nodded again, too scared to speak.

"I'm sorry to hear that darling. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, okay?" She said, kneeling down so she was eye level with him. He didn't respond, only stared at his shoes in fear. "So, I've got some things for you. This is your bracelet…" She said, fastening a plastic bracelet around his wrist. "And here's your folder. It has schedules, maps, rules, things like that. It's full of important things, so try not to lose it." Ross nodded as he took the bright green folder from her. "And here's a journal. You can do whatever you like with it."

"T-thank you. Where a-am I supposed t-to go now?" Ross asked, his voice shaky with tears held back. He sniffed, wiping his nose on the sleeve of his hoodie.

"Well, you can go to the dayroom if you'd like. That's where you'll meet other kids. But, if you want to see your room, or maybe take a nap, the boys dorms are just off to the left of when you first walk in, and your room number is on your bracelet. Steven can show you." She said, gesturing to the man still holding tight on his arm. Ross nodded, muttering a thank you, before turning away and looking shyly at Steven.

"Lets go." Steven said stoically, before he was tugging on Ross's arm, and pulling him through a set of locked double doors. They walked down a few corridors, and made a couple of turns before they were faced with another set of locked doors. Steven opened them with a keycard, gave him a wave, and said, "Good luck," before pushing him through and closing the doors.

* * *

Rocky saw the sniffling boy come in. He didn't really pay much attention at first, not until the blonde kid had wandered off into his dorm. It was something about the way he had came in, shy, nervous, and incredibly upset. It seemed like he was new to all this, like he had just been orphaned. Now, thats something you don't see every day in this orphanage.

Most kids here are transfers, as in, they fucked up somewhere else, and got in enough trouble to be sent to this place. That's why it's so high security, with all the locked doors, locked windows, frequent drug tests, no knives, plastic silverware, and so on and so forth. It was almost like a psych ward, only you could tell that none of the staff gave a shit about what happened to the kids here. They just kinda, let the violence happen.

Rocky sat slumped over, in the same corner he had sat in since his first day here. He was writing in his journal, as per usual. Everything Rocky didn't say went into that journal. He wrote a lot of poems and short stories, as well as writing every thought and feeling that came into his head. He only did it because he didn't have anyone to share said thoughts with.

His mind was still on the new kid when the bell rang for dinner, so the events that occurred next were only natural. As Rocky stood from the corner to go eat, he wondered if the new kid had heard the bell, or even knew what it meant. He really shouldn't have cared, but he just couldn't get over the look of pure heartbreak on the boys face when he came in. He didn't want him to go hungry tonight also.

So, instead of heading to the dining hall, he decided to give the boy a heads up. Walking down the corridor with all of the boys rooms, he peered through the crack in the door of each one, looking for a sulking blond kid. Oh boy, did he find one.

His room was at the very end of the hallway. When Rocky pushed open the door the rest of the way, he saw the boy, curled up in a ball, trying to stay silent as he cried his eyes out. He walked up, and tapped the kid on the shoulder lightly. He lifted his head, and wiped his eyes. "W-what?" He choked out, his voice thick with tears.

Rocky was a bit flustered. He wasn't sure what to say, because it sure seemed like this kids parents had just died or something. Missing one dinner probably wouldn't matter. He decided to try anyway. "Hey, uh, it's dinner time. I know you're new, so…" Rocky trailed off. The boy just buried his face into the pillow, letting out a sob of despair.

"Hey, man…" Rocky stopped. It really wasn't any of his business. This kid just really looked like he needed a friend. "Do you...wanna talk about it, maybe…?" He questioned, thinking for sure the boy would be angry for him asking.

He was wrong. This kid went on a twenty minute rant about his family, about his dead father, alcoholic stepdad, and irresponsible mother who never wanted him and doesn't love him. He's never had any friends, no family besides his mother, and now not even her. He doesn't have any clothes besides the ones he's wearing, and he's never even owned a toothbrush.

Telling someone else about it seemed to calm him down quite a bit, and as he was catching his breath, Rocky held his hand out to him. "I'm Rocky, I'm 5 years old, and I've been an orphan my whole life."

The boy shook his hand. "I'm Ross, I'm 4, and I'm an orphan, since today I guess." He wiped his nose with his sleeve.

Rocky smiled, and looked towards the door. "Well, I think we missed dinner anyway." Ross turned over, burying his face in the pillows on the small bed that he had been provided.

"I don't really care. I'm tired." He grumbled, and Rocky took a hint to leave. Before he exited the room, he turned to Ross again, and tried to speak, tried to say something that would make this whole situation better.

Finding nothing that could help. Rocky simply turned and walked out of the room, leaving the kid on his own to cry.

* * *

Ellington sat sprawled across one of the couches in the dayroom, and Xbox controller in his hand. His focus lied on the bright television just a few feet away from him, displaying a war scene. He cursed as he was killed, the screen switching to a respawn timer.

Having died, he passed the controller to his left, needing to wait his turn to get another chance. He moved his feet as his girlfriend came out of her room, and went to sit beside him.

"Hey, Ry baby." He said, leaning over to kiss Rydel's cheek. She giggled, and leaned into him, setting her head on his shoulder.

As the two of them got comfortable together, Rydel opened her mouth to ask, "Did you see the new kid come in?"

Ell shrugged, putting his arm around her. "Yeah, I did. What about him?" He responded, thinking back to when the young blond kid came in, still sort of crying.

"It's just, he seemed really upset. Do you think anyone's gone to talk to him yet?" She asked, the concern evident in her voice.

"I don't know, why?" Ell asked lazily. New kids came in every day, why would Ry decide to care about this one?

"Maybe you should, you know? You could offer to be his friend or something. Maybe you could ask him if he wanted to play videogames with you and the guys."

Ell sat for a moment, thinking quietly. "I don't know. I doubt everyone would be happy with me if I invited a needy little kid to hang out with us." Seeing the look of disapproval Rydel was giving him, he sighed. "Well, why don't you go talk to him?"

She stood up, and started to walk away. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm still with you." Ell called after her, but she only flipped him the bird, and kept on walking.

"Son of a bitch." He said, standing up from the couch.

"Dude, where are you going?" His friend Riker asked him.

"I guess to talk to the new kid." Ell said, sighing, before heading in the direction of the boys rooms.

* * *

Ryland laid, curled up in a ball underneath a bed that was most certainly not his. The older boys were up and about in their room, talking and laughing, kicking around a ball. Ryland willed himself not to move, not to breathe, not to do anything that would give his position away.

He had came in here, looking for one thing. Money. He wanted to be able to leave, if only for a day, and escape the premises of this godforsaken place. He had originally found what he wanted, a wad of cash earned from doing less than legal things, stuck between the bars of this kids, Riker's, bed frame. Then, he heard voices coming his way, and knew he needed to hide in order to avoid a severe beating, and hatred from the older kids for the rest of his childhood and adolescence.

After what seemed like forever, the voices quieted, and then all left the room. Ryland waited a good five minutes before gingerly sliding from his hiding place, and bolting out of the room, no looking back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, people. Thanks for the reviews and stuff, and I'm sorry this took so long. To the guest who asked if there was going to be pairings, I'm not sure. I pretty much write as I go along, with a few major plot points worked out in my head. But, if someone were to request one, I may be able to work it into the storyline. Anyway, without further ado, here's the second chapter of Family.**

_After what seemed like forever, the voices quieted, and then all left the room. Ryland waited a good five minutes before gingerly sliding from his hiding place, and bolting out of the room, no looking back._

Ryland shoved the money into his pocket just before reaching the dayroom, praying to god no one saw him leave the older boy's room. Not one person paid him any attention as he crossed the room, heading for the courtyard. He pushed the glass door open, and walked out into the crisp nighttime air.

The courtyard was Ryland's favorite place in the whole orphanage. It was the only area in which he felt safe from all of the older kids. Walking over to the tallest tree in the yard, he began to hoist himself up, branch by branch. Tree climbing was one of the few things he was good at, being much stronger than your average 4 year old. Then again, he kind of had to be.

About halfway up the tree, he stopped, and laid himself across a couple of thick, intertwining branches. He pulled the cash from his pocket and unfolded the bills, his stomach churning with excitement. He could get out of here, forever. But, in order to do that, he'd have to get smart. "Well that's what I'll do then." He said out loud, pushing the cash back into his coat pocket, and turning to lean against the tree.

"I'll sleep here tonight. I don't want to be in that building when Riker finds out his money is gone." With that, he closed his eyes, and began to slip into a light sleep.

* * *

"Well guys, I'm gonna go to bed." Riker said, moving to get up off the couch. His friends mumbled small 'goodnight's to him as he headed towards the boys hall. He rubbed his eyes stumbling slightly as he dragged his feet across the carpeted floor of the hall. He'd been having nightmares again, and was finding it exceedingly hard to sleep.

Riker entered his room, and plopped down on the bottom bunk. "Goddammit." He muttered as he found it difficult to shut his eyes due to anxiety. He'd told himself he was never buying those drugs again, the ones that helped him sleep, because he'd become addicted once, and he never wanted to go back. Still, he was desperate. "Fuck." He yelped in defeat as he rolled off his bed, and slid underneath it, feeling in the darkness for his money.

As the seconds ticked by, Riker's anxiety climbed, and took him to the realization that someone stole his money. "Shitshitshitshitshitshit!" He yelled, pulling himself from underneath the bed. His cash was gone, and he needed a fix. "Fuck!" His hands began to shake as flashbacks started to enter his mind, the smell of burning flesh clear in his memory. The car crash.

It all came flooding back, the past he tried hard to forget. He was no longer in his room, but on the side of the road, watching paramedics pull his parent's burned corpses from the car, smelling the flesh slip from their charred bones. He heard a child's scream as his eyes made contact with the deceased adults. The police tried hard to gently coax the boy, a younger version of himself, onto a stretcher, for he had a number of broken bones, second degree burns, and a gash oozing blood across his forehead. The boy screamed, running on pure adrenaline, refusing to let go, to believe that his parents had just roasted before his eyes.

* * *

Ellington reluctantly pushed open the new kid's door, and was surprised to find his bed empty. All of his roommates were present, and turned to look at him fearfully, some diving under their covers. Taking a step in, he looked around, and could just barely see the edge of someone's shoe poking out from underneath the empty bed. Ellington kneeled down, and saw something, that, as sad as it seemed, was fairly commonplace here. The kid was curled up, sleeping under the bed. It was most likely fear that caused him to do so. The teenagers here weren't all that nice to the little kids, and he probably heard a few stories from his roommates.

Ellington got down lower to the ground, and scooped the kid into his arms. He squirmed a bit, but stayed asleep. Ell stood up again, and placed him gently on his bed, pulling the covers over his body. "Goodnight, kid." He mumbled softly, before turning around, and leaving the room, much to the surprise of the other children in the room.

Ellington then decided, with the sweet image of the sleeping child still in his head, that he would try to get some sleep. He found it unusually hard to do so lately, because of talk of finding his parents. His social worker said that they may have some idea of where his mom and dad might be, and they want his ok before looking into it. He honestly doesn't know if he wants to meet the people that abandoned him. But, at the same time, that would just be one more mystery of who he is, solved.

He headed back toward his room, but immediately felt unease sink into his gut. From the angle he could see right now, his best friend was not in bed. He left for his room right around the same time Ell went to fill his girlfriend's request. Ellington crossed his fingers in the hopes that Riker wasn't out buying those drugs again. They were no good for him.

As he got closer, his pace picked up into a run. Riker was on the ground, shaking. He was having another flashback. Ell slid onto his knees next to his friend. "Rike." He spoke gently. He had dealt with this from Riker before. "Rike, it's Ellington, your friend. You're not there right now. You're in your bedroom, come on." He snapped his fingers in front of Riker's eyes as they started to refocus. "That's it, come back to me Rike."

Ell lifted his friend up, and placed him in bed. His eyes were wild, trying to make sense of the two melding words around him. "Just close your eyes, buddy. Get some rest."

"E-Ell?" Riker asked, his voice weak, broken, and scared.

"Yeah, buddy. It's Ell. You need to sleep. It was just a flashback, not real. You're laying in bed. Now, close your eyes. You look exhausted."

"I need drugs." Riker said plainly. Ell shook his head.

"No, you don't. You slept before you had those things, and you can sleep without them."

"Ell-"

"No."

"But someone took my money!"

Ellington looked around, confused. "What do you mean, someone took your money?"

"I mean, someone here. They stole my cash. All of it."

"Okay, how about this. I'll find out who took your money, and you get some sleep. Deal?"

"But Ell, I can't!"

"Yes you can. Don't worry about the flashback. It's over now."

"But the dreams!"

"You're going to be fine. Just sleep. I'll find your money. We'll talk in the morning."

"But-"

"No."

"O-okay, fuck Ell. Fine."

"Goodnight Riker."

"Night, Ell."

* * *

Rocky slid under the covers, the feeling of exhaustion deep in his bones. His eyes shut immediately, and he was well on his way to a good night's sleep.

"Rocky!" Someone whispered. He chose to ignore them, his health being far more important than whoever needed his side in a fight. He was content and comfortable, slowly drifting off despite the person looking to wake him up. "God dammit!" The voice said, and he was violently ripped from his bed by his shoulders.

"Did you take Riker's money?!" The person asked angrily. His vision focused in on Ellington, one of the older boys.

"W-what? No! Why would I-"

"Well someone did! And, you're the only person I know that would dare to fuck with anyone older than you! So, tell me. If you didn't, then who did!?"

"Holy shit, someone stole from Riker? They're dead meat!"

"Yeah. _You _are, unless you give it back, right fucking now!

"

"I didn't take anything!"

"Well, you're gonna find out who did, or your ass is toast."

"What-"

"You've got until morning to find that money."

"But I can't-"

"You better find a way, kid. You know what he'll do to you when he wakes up."

Ellington abruptly stormed off, throwing Rocky on the hard ground.

Rocky knew he was fucked. Nobody but him would ever pull something like that, and yet, this time, it wasn't his fault. He was as good as dead. There was no convincing Riker otherwise, and unless the idiot who stole it comes clean, he's going to get his ass kicked royally, come morning.

**That's the second chapter. Nothing special, I know, but I had a hard time coming up with inspiration for this one. It's a miracle it even got done. Anyway, review with your comments and stuff. The next one shouldn't be as long of a wait, maybe two or three days at most. Byeeee!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, finally I got the inspiration to write another chapter for this freaking story. I hope you like itttt. PLEASSSSEEEE REVIEW I KNOW IM A NEEDY BITCHH BUT IT MAKES ME SO HAPPPYYYYY PLEASSSEEEE.**

**Read.**

"_The tie was suffocating, the pants too tight, and there was sweat on my forehead. Of course, it was closed casket. There wasn't much left to look at. _

"_I cried when they first told me, even though I knew. My parents were dead. Now, there was a deep, numbing calm settling over me, probably from the antidepressants a psychiatrist put me on. I didn't cry, didn't care that it was my parents up there._

"_After the service, which, by the way, was filled with bullcrap prayers and stuff even though my parents were never religious, a man, dark skinned and incredibly tall, put his hand on my shoulder and asked me to follow him. _

"_He said that, because I had no remaining family fit to take me into their home, I would have to be placed into a group home. I learned soon that it was just a nicer way of saying orphanage. _

"_I don't even remember the name of the first place. All I know is that one morning during breakfast, an entire table of older kids morphed into monsters, bloody and burnt with black pits for eyes and I stabbed someone in the shoulder with a butter knife. That's when I was dragged away, literally kicking and screaming. _

"_I faced a lawsuit for the older kid's injury, and was deemed mentally unstable. That's why I'm here."_

_The therapist looked up at Riker when he stopped talking. "I see. And why are you thinking of all this now?" The pale, skinny man with the clipboard asked._

"_I don't know. It's just strange, looking back. It doesn't feel real, any of it. How could I stab a kid? It was bad, too. He had to have the knife surgically removed! How could I do that?" Riker asked, burying his head in his hands._

"_Fear will do strange things to you, Riker. I think it's time you learned to forgive yourself." The man said, but Riker wasn't listening anymore. He was just staring. The therapist inched his hand across the table to lay over the panic button. "Riker? Can you hear me?"_

_Yes, Riker could hear him just fine. But the man wasn't a therapist anymore. He was a monster. Riker leapt from his chair, grabbing the skinny adult by his front with shaky hands and landing a punch across his jaw, one, two, five hits before there were monsters everywhere, rushing in, putting their bleeding hands all over him and pulling. He screamed and screamed for help as they brought him to the ground, his feet flailing, kicking someone hard in the jaw and he swore that the man above him looked just like his dad as they pulled his lifeless body from the car. They promised they were there to help but it wasn't true, they were liars, out to kill him and only that. He heard the order of one nurse. "Tilt his head to the side." He got one of his hands free and punched a lady with a syringe in the nose, a waterfall of blood beginning to drip from where she was injured. Someone grabbed a hold of his head and forced it to the side. Riker kicked and screamed, begging them to just leave him alone, to not hurt him. There was a deep, stinging pain in his neck and immediately the hallucination started to pass. He looked up again to see a man in scrubs, sweaty with the force he was using to help keep Riker on the ground. A woman kneeled beside him as the world started to get dizzy. She placed her hand on his forehead, whispering soft comforts, things starting to blacken in his vision. Riker was suddenly very tired, and he shut his eyes, a sense of calm washing over him. The voices of the nurses around him gradually faded and he slipped into a deep, relaxed sleep. _

Riker's eyes snapped open, his body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. The memories were almost worse. Remembering what he had done, what the 'monsters' looked like shook his bones every time. He looked to the side to see light streaming in from the window and absently wondered if Ellington had found whoever took his money. To be honest, it was probably one of the younger kids, one in particular. His name was Rocky, and he liked to stay alone. He didn't give a single shit about anything besides himself and that stupid fucking journal, so taking someone elses stuff wouldn't exactly keep him awake at night.

Sliding his body out of bed, Riker walked out into the hallway, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He saw the long line at the set of double doors that led off the unit, and knew it was time for breakfast. Stepping into line, he ruffled his hair, knowing that despite his full nights sleep, he would still be exhausted. Nightmares give him no rest.

* * *

Rocky sat down, alone, with his tray of scrambled eggs and bacon. Opening his journal, he continued on the poem he had started yesterday. He heard the click of plastic hitting the table and looked up at the new kid, Ross, setting his tray down next to him. "H-hi…" The shy boy said to him. Rocky shut his journal, looking at the new kid with pity. No wonder he came to sit by him. Rocky was the only person he knew.

"Hi." He returned. They both stared at their food for a moment, before Ross finally spoke.

"Do you like the food here?" He asked.

"Not really. But, if I don't eat it, I'll kinda starve, so…" Rocky responded, and they both laughed. There weren't really any words spoken after that, but Rocky had to admit, it felt nice not sitting alone like he usually did. He'd had a few 'friends' before, but they always left when they made better friends. He assumed Ross would be the same. Still, it was nice.

Rocky heard footsteps echo off the linoleum, and he was yanked out of his seat by his neck. He faced Ellington, Riker on his wing, and suddenly remembered why today was not a good day. "Wanna give his money back yet?" Ellington asked cockily.

Rocky wrung his hands. "I'm telling you, I don't h-have it." He said nervously.

"Have what?" Ross questioned.

Ellington pointed to Rocky. "He took Riker's money, and refuses to fess up."

"When?" Ross asked.

"Yesterday, around dinner time probably."

"No he didn't." Said Ross.

They all turned to him, even Rocky. "And how would you know that?" Ellington asked, cracking his knuckles.

"Because he was with me yesterday at dinner."

Rocky suddenly thanked the gods for this kid. "Really?" Ell asked, his voice sarcastic. "Then who else could have taken it? This kid's the only one stupid enough to fuck with Riker."

"I don't know." Ross started. "My roommate Ryland was on the unit during dinner. He wasn't in my room though. I haven't seen him since then."

"Hm. Okay then. Ryland it is, then. C'mon Riker." Ellington said to the tired looking blonde boy behind him. As they walked away, Ell smacked Rocky in the back of the head hard enough to put him on his knees. "You're not off the hook yet, you little shit." He mumbled under his breath.

"Hey! That's my friend!"

Everything in the cafeteria got quiet. The adults watching over them were busy reading _Cosmopolitan _or whatever. Ellington spun on his heels, and kids sitting at farther away tables got up and moved so they could catch the action.

"Excuse me?" Ellington asked, taking a step toward Ross, who was standing on his feet, angry and unafraid.

"Just because you're older doesn't mean you can be a jerk to everyone!" Ross yelled. Rocky had gotten to his feet and moved away, wanting absolutely no part of this.

Ellington kneeled down, now eye level with the younger boy. "Actually…" He shoved Ross, the kid hitting his head on the edge of a table before falling to the ground. "I can." Ell stood up, joining Riker's side again. "Learn your place. You're a kid, I'm not. You do what I say and you shut your fucking mouth, you little rat."

Ell and Riker walked away, and the cafeteria returned to it's regular scheduled programming. It was then that Rocky ran to Ross and kneeled beside him. The younger boy had a hand on the back of his head, trying his hardest not to cry. Rocky helped him to his feet, sitting him down in front of his food tray once again. It was then that he noticed the blood leaking out from between Ross's fingers. Grabbing a pile of napkins, he instructed Ross to move his hand from his head and gently wiped at the blood oozing from the wound on the blonde boy's head. When the red liquid didn't stop coming and Ross almost fell off his chair, Rocky pressed several of the napkins to his head, holding them there and hoping to clot the wound.

One of the adults called for them to line up. Rocky helped Ross to his feet, and told him to hold the napkins himself as they walked slowly up to the line together. Somehow, they made it back to the unit without Ross falling, and Rocky brought the younger boy to his bed. He used some cheap masking tape to secure the napkins to the wound, and sat on the edge of Ross's bed until the boy fell asleep.

"Fucking bastard." Rocky muttered under his breath as he passed Ellington in the hall on his way to his own bedroom.

**I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review if you have time, and I'll try to update this one tomorrow also if you guys want me to. Okay. Have a wonderful day my beautiful people. Byeeeee!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, yeah. It's been forever and a half years since I updated this. Whoops. Anyway, this chapter got kinda violent and out of hand. Like seriously, I was sitting there, and was like, 'what the hell am I writing?' but whatever. I hope you enjoy this. I love yah. **

Ellington looked around nervously, hoping nobody had seen him sneaking off premises. He stood in line at a gas station, waiting for the guy to ring his shit up so he could pay and get out of there. Sat on the counter was disinfectant, gauze and an ace bandage. Again, his girlfriend. She had heard what he'd done to Ross and sent him out to get something to fix up his wound. Looking to the side, he also quickly grabbed a stuffed animal for the kid, hoping that might get him back on Rydel's good side.

The guy behind the counter gave him a total, and he absently flicked a ten at him, walking out a few seconds later with a plastic bag full of things he shouldn't have had to buy. He'd taken care of himself at that age, why shouldn't that kid? He'd been shoved around and he'd learned to deal with it himself. He never expected the assholes who beat him up to come apologize. Even more so, he never thought he'd turn into one of those assholes, but he did. Life goes on.

On the way back to the orphanage, he lit up a cigarette with a stranger. It wasn't his best idea considering he knows he feels sick after smoking and he has a drug test coming up soon, but he wasn't in the best of moods and felt like self destructing.

He hopped the fence back into the courtyard and headed in the door. Not one person paid him any mind as he slipped inside, besides of course, Rydel. She looked in the bag, gave him a glare as she tasted the cigarette on his lips, and sent him back in the hallway to patch up the kid. The sun was near setting, and he'd spent the better half of his day shopping for a rat and waiting for that Ryland kid to show his face. Riker had been absently staring at a wall the whole afternoon.

Stepping into the kid's room, he noticed Rocky sitting at his bedside again. "What the fuck do you want?" He spat at Ellington, the words stinging like venom in Ell's eyes. He'd officially become the bully, and that didn't necessarily feel good.

Ell lifted the bag. "Due to my girlfriend, I'm here to patch him up. Hate to tell you kid, but your napkins and masking tape job isn't gonna hold very well." Rocky scoffed, but moved aside as Ellington drew closer. As pissed as Rocky was, he wasn't suicidal. Ellington could easily kick his ass any day, and it'd probably be in his best interest to stop cursing at him for that very reason.

The older boy sat down on the edge of Ross's bed, pulling the limp child into his lap. He plucked off the tape and passed the napkins, now sticky with coagulated blood, to Rocky. He dripped disinfectant on a small piece of gauze and pressed it to Ross's head. It bubbled and hissed, and Ross whimpered a little, starting to wake from his sleep. "Is that hurting him?" Rocky asked unknowingly.

"Well, yeah probably. It's like, acid or something. It's gotta clean it out somehow." Ellington responded, too woozy from the cigarette to bother being sarcastic with his answer. Handing the used gauze to Rocky, he took a larger piece and folded it in on itself multiple times until it was thick enough to keep good coverage on the wound. "Hold this." Ell said, getting Rocky to keep his fingers on the gauze as it pressed up against Ross's wound. Ellington pulled the bandage out of it's plastic and wrapped it under his jaw, all the way up to the back of his head over the gauze and then down again, repeating this until he ran out. Using a safety pin to keep the bandage from unravelling, he gently placed Ross back on his bed.

The young boy murmured and turned in his sleep, and both Ell and Rocky stayed still for a moment, just watching. "I wonder if his bitch mother still thinks about him." Ellington said absently, his hands coming to untie Ross's sneakers that he still had on for some reason.

Rocky shook his head. "She said she might come back to see him on Christmas."

"Bullshit." Ell responded, setting the shoes beside the bed. "We've all heard something like that. They never come back."

"Yeah, I know." Rocky said, lowering his head like he'd stirred up a memory he'd wanted to forget.

With a set jaw and a tired sigh, Ellington stood to leave the room. He turned back to look at Rocky once before he exited. "If we don't find that money soon, I'm going to hang you from the

flagpole."

* * *

Ryland must've looked a little bit strange to those around him. Here he was, a four year old kid, spending almost the entire day at the library. To be honest, he'd found all of the information that he needed a while ago, but he didn't want to go back yet. He knew it was unlikely that he'd ever be suspected of taking Riker's money, but still. If they knew it was him somehow, he'd be walking into the worst beating of his life by going back. Now, with the sun starting to set, he knew that if he didn't return, one of the staff members would notice and call the police to report him missing.

Ryland folded up a bunch of printed papers and stuffed them in his backpack alongside the stack of cash at the bottom. With a sigh, he slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out the front entrance of the library.

On the way back, he bought himself dinner at a fast food chain restaurant, knowing that by the time he got back it would be well past dinner.

Darkness provided his cover as he pulled his small body over the fence, dropping down into the courtyard with ease. Opening the door leading inside, he snuck past the older boys playing video games and tired staff sleeping on the job, making a clear beeline for the boys hall.

He never made it there.

"Where are you headed this fine evening?" Ellington asked, his voice laced with heavy sarcasm. He had stepped in front of Ryland, backing him into a wall with Riker following right behind. The immediate fear in the younger boy's eyes was enough to tell Ell that he had found the right kid. "Ryland, is it?" He asked, waiting for the kid's conformation before he continued. "I believe you took something that doesn't belong to you. Care to hand it over?"

With shaky hands, Ryland dropped his backpack and unzipped it. He pulled out the wad of cash and offered it up to Ellington, who took it quickly. "Go ahead and count it, Riker." He said, handing it back to the blonde. Oh, fuck. Ryland was absolutely and totally screwed. Riker shuffled through the money, it not taking long for him to leaf through the couple hundred dollars he had saved.

"I'm about fifteen short." Riker said finally, pocketing the cash. Ell's smile twisted into a malicious grin.

"Fifteen? I can do fifteen. C'mon kid." Ellington grabbed Ryland by the arm and dragged him out of the boys hall, through the dayroom and out into the courtyard. Kids got up from their chairs to peer out of the windows, trying to figure out what was going on.

The nighttime chill bit at Ryland's skin as he was shoved against a tree, the bark digging into his back through his shirt. Ellington cracked his knuckles, both him and Riker standing less than two feet away from the scared four year old. "Here's how this is going down. Fifteen dollars, fifteen hits. You swing back, you get an extra. You try to cover yourself, you get an extra. Make sense?" Ell said, his voice becoming angry and sadistic. He'd been waiting for a way to release his anger, and here it was. Ryland's breath was caught in his throat. "All right?" Ell asked, impatience in his voice. Ryland nodded, not sure what else he could do.

The first hit came from Ellington, a kick in the gut that knocked the breath from his lungs. A second came from Riker, his balled up fist slamming into the side of Ryland's jaw so hard it sent his head back, cracking into the tree. Three, four and five were all from Ell, sharp punches to his chest that put Ryland on his knees. Six was a kick in the throat from Riker that forced Ryland to brace himself on the ground with his hands. Seven was a well placed kick that knocked the support from under him, putting his body face down in the dirt. Eight, nine, ten and eleven were all kicks, finding their place on Ryland's side, right below his ribs. Twelve was a boot to the side of his head, and at this point he couldn't remember who was doing the hitting. He was dragged to his knees by someone's hand in his hair, and a fist found it's way under his jaw, making his vision swim with pain. The last two were both kicks, one in the center of his chest, knocking him back, and the other right between his legs, and that was the reason Ryland screamed for the first and last time in this beating. He curled in on himself beside the tree, knowing that it was over when he heard a door slam and was left alone in the cold.

* * *

Everyone in the orphanage was asleep and the lights inside were off as Riker made his way out of his bedroom. He winced as the door leading to the courtyard whined on its hinges, but luckily didn't wake anyone. His footsteps fell soft on the chilly grass and he soon found himself standing above a shaking mass of human flesh, bruised and still crying. He kneeled down beside the boy, his hand coming to rest in his hair, matted from blood and dirt. Ryland flinched, his cries becoming more audible. Riker said nothing as he picked the boy up into his arms, carrying him like the scared child he was. It wasn't until Ryland was back into his own bed and coaxed into sleep that Riker returned to his bed, staring up at the ceiling, guilt of what he had done eating away at his psyche.

**Yeah, yeah, this is evil. Who hates Ellington right now? IF I DO NOT UPDATE THIS BY THURSDAY NEXT WEEK THEN GET ON MY ASS. Ok then. Byeeeeeeee.**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, uhm, excuse time. I got grounded. And suspended too. Are you believing me yet.**

**Apologies for the really really really late chapter. **

**I'm so sorry ILY SO VERY MUCH**

**Also could you message me on Kik I'm super lonely and in desperate need of friends. My kik is PLZ do this I need a friend please**

**Reviews are much appreciated like seriously they kinda make my day so much better I really appreciate all of you guys so much and thanks for reading I'm sorry it took so long to update and I hope this kinda exciting chapter makes up for it a tiny bit i prommmiiiseee I'll update more regularly I LOVE AND APPRECIIATE ALL OF YOU GUYS SOOO MUCH YOU HAVE NO IDEA THE DIFFERENCE IT MAKES TO ME THAT SOMEONE READS MY MEDIOCRE FANFICS**

**ONE MORE QUESTION FOR REVIEWING THINGS::DO YOU LIKE FALL OUT BOY IDK WHY I JUST WANNA KNOW  
YOU"RE ALL SO BEAUTIFUL I SWEAR I THINK YOURE GREAT OH YEAH IF YOU WANT I COULD CHECK OUT SOME FICS YOU"RE WRITING BECAUSE I THINK YOU GUYS ARE THE BOMB DOT COM  
NO IM NOT HIGH SHUT THE FUCK UP**

**ily enjoy**

"Did you really beat up that little kid?" A boy that sat across from Ellington asked. Rydel turned on him, an accusatory look on her face.

"What little kid?" She asked.

"Dammit, Ry, I was going to tell you, I swear. He jacked Riker's cash, and I went to back him up but things turned nasty pretty quick so I-" She cut him off.

"I really don't need to hear your bullshit this morning, Ell." She said, looking down at her plate of waffles discontentedly. "Just...I don't know, fix it or something."

Ellington could tell immediately that something was wrong. Rydel didn't just stop caring overnight. "Baby," He started, putting his hand on her arm, "What's wrong?" She leaned her head on his shoulder, pushing her waffles away from her, no longer hungry.

"My parents," she started with a sigh, "are back in court, trying to gain ownership of me again." Ellington's arm came up around her shoulders to pull her close.

"Who in God's name would let those pricks raise a child?" He said, well aware of Rydel's past. There was no chance they'd be allowed within three hundred yards of her ever again.

"Apparently the judge is considering it." She said.

"Fuck, no way!" Ell swore, protectively tightening his grip on his girlfriend's shoulders.

"Yeah, that's what I said." She responded, not even fazed by Ellington's outburst. "They're thinking about making some kind of deal where my mom and dad can take me out for dinner and stuff, like have me spend weekends at their house."

"That's bullshit! Don't they know what those fuckers did to you when you lived with them?" Ell responded, knowing no way of making her feel better about the situation.

There was a call to line up, and he and Rydel stood slowly, interlocking hands as they got into line with the rest of the kids. They were up front, of course, and their dominance was proved as another kid picked up their trays of food and dumped them.

* * *

Rocky was sitting in his corner, staring intently at a piece of math homework. Even in this group home, they still had to keep up with their studies, even though the teaching was a year behind what normal kids would learn. He was aware of a presence next to him, and he turned his head just to see Ross plop down next to him. "Hey." He said absently, his mind focused on remembering how to carry the three. "Your head feeling any better?"

"A little." Ross said. "How come you're doing the school stuff? Everyone else is just throwing it away."

"Because I care about my education." Rocky responded, setting the finished paper down beside him and picking up something for English.

"Well, could you do it later? I want someone to play with." Ross said simply. Rocky looked up from his work, meeting Ross's eyes. Finally, he set down his papers.

"Yeah, sure. Where do you want to go?" He asked, getting to his feet alongside Ross.

"Outside!" Ross said excitedly, running over to the door and waiting for Rocky to catch up.

The two went out into the courtyard and picked up a basketball, both far too short to reach the net but they tried anyway, running circles around each other until they exhausted their childlike energy, at which point they sat down and drew with the chalk on the sidewalk.

All the while, Ellington was watching them out the window, his mind absolutely refusing to focus on the work that had been placed in front of him. Some days were worse than others, with his ADHD. At times, he felt that he could almost be normal, others were like lightning in his brain, but most often was the exhausted numbness he felt from the Ritalin. He tried to avoid taking it because of how zombie-like it made him, but the nurses would always notice. His mind was always a race full of drunk thoughts, like swimming through water, the sound muffled and unheard. And today, he thought about those kids.

He remembered when he was like that, him and Riker young and loud enough to play outside in the sun. When was the last time he had done that? Years, probably. Those thoughts were exactly how he found himself in the predicament he was in, walking across the courtyard, the only word in his mind was _play._

Ross and Rocky lifted their eyes, and immediately became nervous. Ellington came to sit down beside them, picking up a green piece of chalk. They both watched as he drew, and became confused as they noticed his shaking hands. "Are you...okay?" Ross asked.

Ellington pointed at his ears. "Bees" He said. "Lots of bees, and loud drums, very loud." He hit his hand against his chest repeatedly.

Ross and Rocky shared a confused glance. "What..?" Ross responded.

"Algebra didn't make sense, why would Mom and Dad want me? Shouldn't bother, she could be leaving, why can't things collect, I just want to play..." He muttered, still staring at the ground, drawing a Christmas tree. Ross and Rocky looked warily at each other.

"Dude, are you on drugs?" Rocky asked, cocky as always but a tone of worry entered his voice as Ellington swayed back and forth, humming Sugar We're Goin Down right before he literally went down, Ross jumping to keep him from cracking his head on the concrete. "Holy shit!" Rocky yelled, getting to his feet. "Stay here." He said to Ross. "I'll get help."

He'd made it halfway across the courtyard before Rydel and Riker both sprinted out the door. Riker grabbed Rocky's shoulders and shook him as Rydel ran past. "What'd he say?"

"Uhm, like, nothing that made sense…"

"Anything!"

"Bees! He was talking about bees, and like, drums or something, dude, let go of me!" Riker dropped his grip on Rocky and ran past him towards where Ellington was laying on the concrete. "What the hell!" Rocky yelled, the days events having been far too loud and exciting for the boy who usually sits in a corner listening to Fall Out Boy all day. He turned around and ran back over to Ellington.

He'd been moved so he laid on his side, and he was drooling. Riker was rubbing his back gently, and Rydel had her fingers locked in his hair. Ross sat awkwardly but worriedly in front of him. "Shouldn't we get a nurse or something?" Rocky asked.

"If he doesn't wake up soon, yeah." Rydel said, leaning down to wipe the drool off of his face. "He gets like this sometimes. They're side effects. From his Ritalin."

"He takes Ritalin?" Rocky asked, surprised. The biggest, baddest bully in the whole place had ADHD? It seemed like a weakness a villain shouldn't have.

"Yeah. But he doesn't like to talk about it, so shut up." She responded. Ellington's eyes flickered open, just for a moment.

"Damn, now you know my weak spot. Take me down like Superman, kid." Ell said, his voice thick and lips shiny with spit. He looked up at Rydel. "Baby, what if they're good people?"

"Who? Who are good people?" She responded, still toying with his hair.

"My Mom and Dad. What if I could be happy there?"

"I don't know baby. That's your call. Why don't you think about this later, when you're more clear headed?" She offered, her free hand scratching lightly at the sensitive skin on his neck."

"I'm never clear headed. You know that." He said, but didn't wait for a response. He turned to Rocky. "What? You gonna tell everyone in there that I have to take meds to be normal? You gonna ruin my cred? What? I can't stop you." Ell said, his words slurring a bit.

Rocky sat down beside Ross, and for the first time in his life at the orphanage, had the guts to look Ell straight in the eye. "No, I'm not. Truth is, I've got ADHD too. I've never gotten side effects that bad before though."

Ellington took a deep breath, breaking eye contact with Rocky to stare up at Riker. "Can you, like, help me up?" He asked, his gaze unfocused. Riker nodded, hooking his hands under Ellington's upper arms and pulling him up, his feet dragging until they got under him. Slowly, Riker let go, and Ellington took a step, stumbling forward. Rocky caught him with hands on his shoulders, and Ell thanked him with a small nod, his pride still unable to give much more than it had today.

They all walked inside together, and followed Ellington to his room, assuring themselves that he wouldn't fall. Once he was safely in bed, everyone but Rydel left, the blonde girl crawling in next to him, feeling his clammy hands and sharing her body heat.

Once that whole mess was over, Rocky returned to his spot in the corner and picked up the abandoned English paper, determined to pass his exams this year.

**REVIEW IF YOU LIKE FALL OUT BOY**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well here we go again. More excuses. Ah, you won't believe me. Someone message me on kik, im lonely as fuck. happy_turtlee**

Ellington sat in a room, the plush, colorful chairs doing nothing more than unsettling him. A brunette woman sat in front of him, two folders in front of her. "You don't have to do this, Ellington."

"Yeah, I do, and you know it." Ell said, resting his head on his hand as he eyed the folders suspiciously. He took a deep breath. "What's my mom's name?" He started. The lady eyed him, as if to say 'are you sure?', and he widened his eyes. "What. Is. Her. Name?" He said slowly, his tone irritated...and if I didn't know better, I'd say scared.

"Cheryl. Your mom's name is Cheryl." She said finally, sliding one of the folders across the mahogany table. Ellington took the folder, just looking at the outside. He rubbed sweat off of his forehead.

"And my dad?" He asked. She passed him the other folder, sighing almost as deeply as Ell had.

"George."

"Great." Ellington said. "So what? If I open these folders, and I find good, normal people, I can go live with them, if they'd have me?" The woman nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "But, if I find crazy, drug addicted assholes, I just have one more nightmare to add to the list of reasons why I don't sleep at night." She nodded again. "It's a gamble." Ell muttered to himself. "And I don't wanna play." He decided finally, dropping both folders onto the table with a large thwack.

Ellington pushed back his chair and started to walk away. "Ellington?" The woman asked for his attention. He gave it to her, meeting her lightning blue eyes with his sharp brown ones. "This information will always be here. You just have to ask for it."

"Right." He said, and then opened the door, leaving the woman alone in the too cozy therapy room.

Rydel was waiting for him as he exited his personal house of horrors. "So?" She asked, getting close enough to graze their lips together, as she knew that physical closeness calmed him down. Ell shook his head, and she wrapped her arms around him, kissing his neck softly. He just stared forward, his eyes looking into nothing, just the way they got sometimes. "It's okay, baby. Let's get you to bed. Whatever happened, you can forget for now." Rydel pushed him in the direction of the Boys Hall, and he complied without a word.

She laid him down in bed and then crawled in beside him, tracing patterns up and down on the flesh of his neck as he breathed shallowly, trying to calm himself enough to sleep. "Forget, baby. It's all okay." Rydel said, lied actually, but for some reason, it helped. Ellington's heart rate began to drop back to healthy levels, and he focused on Rydel's soft fingers instead of the throbbing headache. Soon, he found himself, eyes closed and breathing deep, relaxed and content.

…

Riker's cheap sneakers crunched the crumbling rocks under his feet. He held out a stack of bills, twenties mostly, to a skinny man with a tattoo of a paw print on his neck. The man handed back an orange bottle, filled about halfway with little yellow pills. The label had on it a patient name Riker didn't recognize, but the drug itself was all too familiar. He tipped his head at the dealer, slipped the pills in his pocket, and backed away, his eye still locked on to the gun tucked into the guy's jeans. Once he was far away, he turned around and twisted open the top on the medicine bottle. Tipping one pill into his hand, he replaced the drugs in his pocket before using a nearby water fountain to effectively numb his system.

Ellington had been busy that day, and that was the only reason Riker even got off premises to buy the pills. He just knew that he couldn't get caught, and if he did, it would break Ellington into so many pieces. They had come together. In the same car, with the same social worker telling them the same bullshit reassuring crap about the safety of the Unit. They were in this together, and nothing would ever change that. Certainly not drugs. So Riker had to hide it. Fine.

He slowly made his way back to the orphanage, his footfalls heavy and drugged. Once there, standing outside of the fence that led into the courtyard, he realized he may have made a grave mistake. Choosing to ignore it, he jumped up, catching his fingers on the top of the fence, and then began to pull. He kicked and struggled, but his muscles were too sedated to get him over. Falling back to the ground, he swore.

He knew he was going to get caught, but as his head fell back against the fence, he realized that he didn't really care. Everything felt warm and nice, and as long as Ell didn't find out, things would be okay.

The sun was long past setting by the time the cops found him. They took him back and ordered a 72 hour watch on him, meaning one of the staff would have to stare at him all the time for three days, excluding the bathroom, which was fine with Riker because he could just say he had to take a piss, pop one, and then be fine for another six hours or so. Either way, he'd be off watch long before he had to pay for more pills. He's never been one to have much to hide, so the privacy breach didn't really matter to him.

Ellington watched Riker be escorted to their room by staff, and he immediately knew something was up. His hands were lax and shoulders dropped, far too relaxed for someone who just got busted for leaving the Unit. He had the sneaking suspicion that Riker was high. Still, he couldn't do anything for three whole days, couldn't risk his friend being busted by staff for drugs, because then he'd be sent to another orphanage, and they'd never see eachother again. Three days was plenty enough time for the addiction to rekindle though, so Ell was in a tough spot.

The truth of his concerns were made evident as Riker fell asleep almost immediately after climbing into bed. Usually, he forced himself to stay awake, to keep the nightmares at bay and only catching three or so hours of restless sleep a night.

Ellington rubbed his forehead and sighed, knowing he had to stop Riker before it got worse, but not wanting to lose his best friend. He'd just have to find a way.


	7. Chapter 7

**New chapter! Have fun, read, I'm exhausted. Seriously though, ILY all and I'm here for you ok if you feel sad. I'm real friendly and I'm always here to listen. Much love, Alex **

**Read.**

Riker slipped on a clean gray t-shirt, his hair still damp and sticking up. He giggled at the tingling sensation in his arms, rubbing the skin with his hands until it pricked with goosebumps. The bathroom and shower area was still void of other people, so he didn't hesitate in unscrewing the cap to the pills and throwing another back, not even bothering with water this time.

He quickly slid the bottle back into his jeans pocket as the door to the bathrooms opened. Ellington walked in, freezing and taking his time to catalog Riker's behavior. Yep, definitely high. His hands were shaking slightly, his body relaxed and his pupils dilated to all hell. "How long did you think you could hide this from me?" Ell said, moving to stand beside Riker in front of the mirror. "And I swear to God, if you fucking lie to me, I'll break your nose."

Their eyes met, both staring at the reflective glass, tension in the air. "I need them, Ell." Riker said finally, his hands gripping the counter, tense despite the drugs. The younger turned to face the doped up teenager, putting out his hand.

"Give them to me." He said, his voice steady and low. Riker giggled, and turned to run playfully away from his friend. He never got the chance. Ellington curled his fist and slammed his knuckles into the older boys jaw, putting him on the ground. He frisked Riker, reaching into his left jean pocket to reveal a bottle about half full of little white pills.

Twisting the top off, he tipped the orange container and let the capsules fall into one of the toilets. He had just finished flushing them down when Riker started to wake, sitting up easily with a dark bruise forming on the side of his face. "When did I get here?" He asked, laughing from his spot on the floor. Ell shook his head angrily and finished his job, wrapping up the bottle in paper towels and burying it at the bottom of the trash can.

He walked back over to Riker, pulling the older up by his arm. "You should sleep this off." He insisted, wrapping Riker's arm around his shoulders as support. The blonde stuck his tongue out, laughing again. As the two walked out of the bathroom, the lady assigned to watch Riker looked on with surprise.

"What happened to him?" She asked, noting the dark purple mark under his jaw. Ellington let the older stand on his own, but still kept at attention in case his friend started to lose his balance.

"I think he fell. I don't really know, he was on the floor before I got in there." The younger lied easily, and the lady nodded, motioning for Riker.

"Lets go see the nurse, kid." She said, but the older boy wasn't comprehending. Instead, he sat down on the floor cross legged, and started picking lint out of the carpet. Ellington yanked him up by his arm and smiled awkwardly to the lady.

"Maybe he should just take a nap or something." The younger boy said. She nodded.

"Whatever. I'm gonna take a break, you watch him for awhile." The lady said, and Ell pulled Riker's relaxed body down the hallway and into their bedroom. It was a shared room, and about six other kids were still in bed when Ellington was tucking Riker in.

"I don't waannnt to sleep, Ell! I-" The younger covered his mouth, being a little harsher than he needed to be. Riker licked his palm, and Ellington pulled back, wiping his hand on the olders shirt. "This was clean!" Riker complained, but Ell shushed him.

"Go to bed." Ellington ordered, and Riker nodded exaggeratedly, his face mocking seriousness before breaking out into another fit of giggles. "Riker, I'm serious. I'm not in a very good mood right now, so unless you want another bruise, I suggest you sit still and try to sleep."

"Pshh, I could take you in a fight any day of the week." He bragged, waving the younger off and trying to get out of bed again. Ell shoved him back down, holding him against the mattress with rough hands on his shoulders.

"Maybe you could, if you were sober." The younger responded. "Now. Go. To. Sleep." He insisted.

Riker squeezed his eyes shut and forced his body to sit still. The drugs raged in his system, making his body numb and pulsing under his skin. He felt as if spiders were crawling over him, and he smacked the invisible insects away, Ellington attempting to hold his limbs down. "Relax, Riker. Just take a nap. It'll all be better when you wake up."

The older relaxed his muscles, allowing his body to sink into the bed. "Hug." He mumbled, reaching for Ellington and pulling him close. The younger was dragged onto the mattress, and held tight by the blonde.

Ellington just sat with him, waiting for him to fall asleep. This wasn't the first time Riker had done this. It had actually been the event that had led to them becoming so feared.

The first time Ell had forced Riker to quit taking the pills, he'd wanted to sleep next to the younger every night, and it led to people calling them gay. They were picked on every day, no matter what they did, and eventually they learned how to fight back. Soon, people were begging at their feet, giving apology in fear of a broken nose. They were close friends, and they found comfort in eachothers presence. That was all, and people don't care anymore. They just leave the boys be.

Ellington stuck around until Riker started snoring, at which point he slipped out of his grasp and left the room, holding his head high to defeat the ideas of anyone possibly bothering him about what just happened.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, guys. I'm sorry this chapter is a little short, I'm just not feeling really great but I promised this chapter would be up today, so here it is. I hope you all have a great day, and I'll have a new chapter for Big Brother up tomorrow. Please review if you have the time, and idk but I'm kinda sad and I want someone to talk to so if you're bored and want to talk, message me on Kik at happy. turtlee**

**Thanks guys for reading. **

Riker woke with a headache so bad it threatened to break his reality apart. Groaning and holding his hair between his fists, he sat up. There were a group of boys, newer kids who had only showed up recently, covering their mouths to stifle laughs. One of the young boys pointed at him and giggled. "Faggot!" He yelled. Riker got to his feet, ignoring the pain momentarily to instead focus on keeping his reputation.

He grabbed the arm of the kid that pointed at him and bent his elbow at a painful angle, bringing the younger boy to his knees. He kneeled in close, spitting his words into the ignorant kid's ear. "You better be careful about how you talk to me." The boy nodded, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. Riker let him go and the kids all scrambled away, leaving him alone in his room.

Ellington walked in just as Riker straightened up, rubbing his head to calm the throbbing behind his temples. "How're you feeling?"

"Like hell." Riker responded. "Seriously though, did you have to hit me so hard?" He sat down on the edge of someone's bed, rubbing his eyes. Ell came to sit beside him, holding out an ice pack to his friend.

The older accepted it, and held it against his bruised jaw. "Probably not, but I was pissed." Ell responded. "Why the fuck did you do that, Riker?"

"I don't know, man." The older boy said, the regret prevalent in his voice. "It's easy, I guess."

"Fuck easy. Nothing's easy, not here." Ellington responded. "And I swear to you, if you do this again, I'll make sure to break your jaw." He stood up. "You missed lunch. Dinner's in an hour or so."

Riker nodded, laying down on the bed and closing his eyes in a cloudy haze of pain. "That's not yours, dude." Ell said, pulling Riker up by his arm and leading him to his own bed. "Thanks, dude." Riker said, burying his body beneath the covers.

"Sure thing. Get some rest. I'll wake you up for dinner." Ellington said, before turning and walking out of the room.

* * *

Ross giggled, hugging the basketball and turning his body away from Rocky. "It's mine!" He laughed, running away as Rocky followed. His head was healing well, and the blood had been washed out of his blonde hair, leaving nothing more than a pink haze.

Rocky turned to notice Rydel walking across the courtyard towards them. "Dinner!" She shouted, and Ross dropped the basketball. "Race you!" He yelled to Rocky as he took off towards the door. The older laughed and sprinted after his new friend.

Meanwhile, Ryland sat crouched behind the shed in the courtyard, papers of information held down by rocks so he could look at them all. "One month." He said quietly to himself. "One month and I'm out of here."

Pulling back a piece of the thin, weak metal siding of the shed, Ryland reached in the take out his backpack. He gripped a few bills in his hand, coming to a total of ten dollars, and proceeded to put them in the front pocket of his bag. In the pocket was more money, about one hundred and fifty. He'd made a grave mistake by calling so much attention to himself before when he took so much money at once. Now, he takes from a number of boys every day, just a couple of dollars so they won't notice. By the time he's ready to go, he'll have more than enough.

* * *

Ellington sat by Rydel at dinner, and for once, was nearly silent the whole time. His friends were cracking jokes and laughing up a storm, even Riker had the energy to make conversation. He wanted to know, really badly. He wanted to at the very least, give them a chance, his mom and dad. And now that he knew that the information was available, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

His girlfriend knew something was wrong, and he could tell she did by the way she was acting. Just small touches, down his neck, on his hand, over his knee, let him know that she was noticing he wasn't okay. It wasn't fair, he had decided, to make her look after him when she already had so much going on in her life.

The judge had decided. Her parents were going to get yet _another _chance at raising her. They were coming to take her home for the weekend in only two days, and just like she could tell he was upset, he knew just by looking at her that she was terrified. Last time she'd seen them, they'd beat the living shit out of her, and she had come to the orphanage with a broken nose, a sprained wrist and three cracked ribs. "If I ever get my hands on you again, you little bitch, I promise you'll be sorry." That was the last thing her father had said to her before he was shoved into the police car.

But still, she cared for him instead of herself. After dinner, she took him back into his bedroom and laid down with him until he fell asleep, running her thin fingers through his hair and telling him how much she loved him.


	9. Chapter 9

Rydel gripped her backpack tightly, her fingers working over the scratchy fabric nervously as she sat waiting in a room by herself. Her parents were going to be there within the hour, and she was _terrified._ The room was small, warmly lit with four plush chairs centered around a small round table. Her social worker had put her in here, told her to wait. Apparently, she was currently considered a flight risk, and for good reason. If she'd had the chance, she'd have been over the fence and down hiding somewhere in Denver by last night if the staff hadn't been watching her so closely.

Rydel tensed as the door opened, and then sighed in relief. Her social worker, Meg, walked in with Ellington at her heels. "He wanted to see you." She said, but Rydel was up and running for Ell before she finished her sentence. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing heavily.

"Help me." She whispered into his ear desperately. He nodded.

"That's the plan."

If Ellington hadn't been forced to protect himself his whole life, bringing down a full grown woman might have been a challenge, but one square, unforgiving punch under the jaw put her on the ground in seconds. An alarm sounded. Clutching her backpack, Rydel rushed out of the room with Ell close behind her. Shoving past a number of kids trying to see what was going on, and Ellington leaving a trail of injured staff members behind him as they ran. Out into the courtyard they tore, rushing across the grass and over to the fence on the far side.

Giving his girlfriend a boost, Ell helped Rydel over the fence before climbing the barrier himself. They ran.

Harder and faster than they ever had in their entire lives, and didn't stop until their breath was so short they both feared they'd pass out. "Holy shit." Rydel said, shocked. For all the things Ellington was, she hadn't expected him to do this. Thankful for her choice in boyfriend, she collapsed onto him, her arms wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him to the hard ground in the alley they currently were in.

"Yeah." Ellington replied.

"I can't believe you actually..." Rydel trailed off, still in the midst of catching her breath.

"What, did you think I was really going to let them take you? No way in hell, baby." Ellington was laying flat on his back, Rydel curled up with her head on his chest.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked him, hoping he had some kind of plan.

"We keep out of the way. I've got some money saved, which should get us by for awhile." Ell patted his pocket, where Rydel assumed he had stuffed his cash.

"We're homeless." She said, in awe of the situation she had just managed to get herself into.

"I know."

* * *

When Riker heard what had happened, he was devastated. His best friend had just left, and if he knew anything about Ellington, he'd make damn sure it was for good. He'd just ran out, no clothes, no food, nothing. He could die, and Riker would never know.

Trying to come to terms with the fact that he'd never see his friend again, he sat down by himself at dinner. All he wanted was to be alone, but clearly, there were a couple of kids that didn't want to let that happen. "Are you okay?" Rocky asked, tentatively sitting down across from the moody blonde, followed closely by Ross. It seemed that they had become the best of friends, truly. Just like Riker and Ellington.

Dropping his spoon in his soup, Riker did something he hadn't done in a long time; he cried. Quietly, so no one at the surrounding tables could see or hear. Without Ellington there, Riker doubted he'd heave the courage to protect himself if he started getting bullied again.

"If you're so sad, why don't you go and find him?" Ross asked.

"He wouldn't want to be found." Riker responded.

Rocky looked unsure. "Not even by you?"

"Yeah, he's your best friend. Go find him." Ross said surely.

* * *

It was past midnight when Riker snuck out of his bedroom and down into the kitchen. He piled as much canned food as he could carry into his backpack, knowing that Ellington and Rydel would most certainly need it. A separate bag, currently sitting on Riker's bed, was already filled with Ell's clothes. He knew Rydel had hers, and even if she hadn't, there was no way he could get them from the girl's hall without someone noticing.

When he got back, Ross and Rocky were sitting in the dayroom waiting for him. "We're coming too." Ross said with assurance in his voice. Riker wanted to protest, he knew it'd be harder getting around town with three of them instead of just one, but the thought of company changed his mind.

"Okay."

With bags slung over their shoulders, the three boys quietly entered the courtyard. Immediately, they heard rustling and stopped dead in their tracks.

Ryland was kneeling in the corner, shuffling through a backpack. Riker whistled quietly, just enough to get the young boy's attention. Ryland jumped, threw the backpack over his shoulders and took off into a run for the doors.

Rocky caught him by the arm as he ran past and slammed him into a tree, much harder then necessary, clearly still bitter about the whole money-stealing thing. "What are you doing?" He whispered through gritted teeth.

"Nothing! I was just...are you guys running away?"

"Shut up!" Riker hissed. "Rocky, let him go. We need to leave."

The three boys turned away and headed silently for the fence. "Wait!" Ryland said. They turned to look at him. "Can I come with you? I mean, I've got money! I could help..." He asked nervously, wondering whether pushing his luck was really a good idea right then.

"Fine. Hurry up." Riker said, like he really didn't care, but honestly, the money would be useful. He had very little left after buying those drugs, and he doubted Ross or Rocky had very much to call their own.

Together, the four boys climbed the fence, and set off into freedom.


End file.
